


3,000 Miles

by bloodstream



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: Established Relationship, F/F, Road Trips, fluff and sarcasm really, literal 100 percent fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-21
Updated: 2015-09-12
Packaged: 2018-04-16 11:55:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4624413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloodstream/pseuds/bloodstream
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There’s over a thousand miles between Houston and New York. Which is probably quadruple either Moe or Kling has ever driven in one sitting, which is why Moe think she’s dreaming when Kling slams a roadmap and a wad of cash on the table and says, “Let’s drive.”<br/>Aka a fluffy road trip between two ridiculous almost-adults.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I tried a different writing style with this... So hopefully it works!  
> happy reading!  
> also-- this prologue is really short but it's to set up what's happening

“Two weeks?” Moe asks.

“Approximately.” Kling says.

Moe’s eyerows raise in surprise. Two weeks on the road with Kling sounds crazy. Like, _crazy_ crazy-- in more ways than one. Crazy as in amazing, awesome, the most fun Moe could imagine. But also crazy as in ‘oh my God, I’m gonna be attached to this wack-job at the hip for fourteen days’. Which Moe can’t exactly complain about. But she doesn’t let on that she likes the idea, instead propping her elbows up on the table and pursing her lips.

“Why?”

Kling taps her nails against the map. It's spread across their two-person dining table, the ends falling off the sides.  She shrugs. “Dunno. We have a month to ourselves, and you said you wanted to visit NYC. And I thought, why take a flight when we can drive, and see so many more places?”

“A flight is cheaper?” Moe offers. Kling slides money across the table; it’s only a couple hundred bucks, and not enough for a trip. But then Kling also pulls out her credit card and slaps that down. The confident grin she’s shooting is borderline obnoxious.

“I’ve got more than enough.”

“I’ll pay too.” Moe interjects immediately. The thought of Kling just dealing out several hundred actually terrifies Morgan. The older girl is just not good with money sometimes, as the various QVC items shoved into their closets attest to.

Kling grins. “I figured that, which means we have double more than enough.”

“So you were relying on my amazingness to have this trip work out?” Moe asks, a smirk teasing its way to her face. Kling shrugs again and reaches across the table to intertwine her fingers with Morgan’s.

“Number one: amazingness is not a word. And yes, I was slightly relying on my amazing, supportive girlfriend who really wants to spend two weeks driving to New York City with her equally as amazing and hopeful, pleading, begging--” Kling doesn’t get the rest of her sentence out. Moe is laughing too hard to hear it anyway; she pulls Kling’s hand closer, allowing her lips to graze the shorter girl’s knuckles.

“Fine. I’ll go on a stupid road trip with you, alright? Are you happy now?”

“When I’m with you, I’m always happy.” Kling states. It’s so cheesy and stupid that Morgan’s eyes roll involuntarily.

“Alright, that was cute, I’ll give you that.” Moe’s face turns a little more serious. “But babe, do you have this planned out, or are we just gonna wing it? Because I don’t want to end up in Michigan or something.”

“I have a general idea.” Kling answers. “We may make a few pit stops along the way, but I know where I want us to go.”

Kling gets up from the table and walks over to Morgan, wrapping her arms around the younger girl’s midsection. Morgan immediately leans into the touch-- Kling’s hugs are the best. Kling presses a kiss to Morgan’s cheek and nuzzles into her neck. “Relax. I’ve got this. It’s going to be the best two weeks of your life, Moe.”

Morgan hums. “I’m sure it will be.”

“We leave tomorrow.” Kling tells her girlfriend, ruffling her hair. “So pack some pretty clothes and bring your pretty self to the car. Noon at the latest. Okay?”

“Sounds good.” Kling gives her a final kiss before trotting out of the room, her chin held up proudly. Morgan props her elbow up on the table and her eyes follow Kling the entire way.

 


	2. Walk The Dinosaur

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first leg of Moe and Kling's trip  
> Hope you guys like!

Kling’s so excited to go on the road trip, she has the car packed, food packed, the car on, and more money taken out of the bank before Morgan even wakes up. It’s around nine when she gets up and it’s not even worth speaking to the midfielder until she has a cup of coffee in her system. So when she plods into their little kitchen, she’s pleasantly surprised to see her cup-- a mug that says ‘Good Morning Handsome’, originally a joke gift until it stuck-- already filled to the brim. Kling sits at the table. “Morning, handsome.”

Morgan mumbles something incoherent, but it kind of sounds like ‘thanks’ and maybe an ‘idiot’ thrown in there. Kling settles back and lets the girl drink. “Everything’s ready to go when you are, babe.”

“Mhm.”

“I’m so excited, Moe. This is going to be so much fun. I downloaded like, a hundred new songs on my phone just for this trip.” Kling chuckles. “I figured if I gave you reign over that, we’d be listening to country music the whole ride.”

“Fight me.” Morgan says groggily. She downs the last of her coffee and wipes at the corner of her mouth. “I guess I should get dressed…” She glances at how Kling can’t stop bouncing her knee and adds, “Before you have a panic attack.”

“I’m just excited!” Kling grins as Morgan pushes herself up from the table and wanders back into their bedroom. She leans against the doorframe and watches as Morgan rifles through their drawers for something to wear. “Wear something comfy, babe; we’re gonna be on the road for a while.”

Morgan grabs a pair of maroon jeans and a stars-and-stripes tank top. She holds both up and raises her eyebrows at Kling for confirmation on the outfit. “What do you think of this? Too much red?”

“You look good in anything.”

Morgan chuckles, scarlet creeping up onto her cheeks. “Thank you, but that wasn’t my question.”

“I think it looks good, Moe. You look really patriotic.” Kling says, and begins to sing the National Anthem. Morgan pitches a shoe in her direction and hears the shorter girl’s laughter all the way down the hallway.

***

“We’re taking my car?” Moe asks, another happy surprise for her. Her ‘67 Pontiac GTO, aka her child, was her first major purchase after the World Cup. Kling never took Morgan for a muscle car person, but Champ, the Pontiac, had been her dream car for years. The look on Moe’s face when she sees Champ packed with their gear makes the difficult packing worth it for Kling.

“I feel like the ambience will be better if we take your child instead of mine.” Kling says, motioning at her boring white sedan parked in the garage. It doesn’t even hold a candle to Moe’s baby blue vehicle.

“Ambience?” Moe laughs. “Where’d you learn that word?”

“Believe it or not,” Kling politely holds the car door open for Morgan and waits for the girl to buckle her seatbelt. “I’m quite smart.”

Morgan taps her fingers against the dashboard. “I can’t believe I’m letting you drive Champ. If you so much as _dent_ him, Meghan, I’m breaking up with you.”

Meghan. Kling knows the girl is serious when she uses Kling’s first name. She puts one hand on the wheel and the other on Morgan’s knee, and shoots the younger girl an awfully confident smile. “I am the best driver you know.”

“Eh…”

“We could always invite Carli with us and let her drive.”

“Nevermind. You’re great, doll.” Morgan says, her face turning pale at the thought of Carli driving her car. They wouldn’t even get out of the garage before Carli cursed someone out and hopped two curbs. To Carli, a car had two speeds, fast and faster, and the brake was just an abstract concept.

“I know I am.” Kling laughs, cranking the radio up. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

The first song that comes on is ‘Highway to Hell’. Morgan secretly hopes that it won’t set the whole tone for the trip. She’s not exactly in the mood for dying. Kling purposely revs the engine as they pull out of the garage and dons a pair of oversized aviators. “Ready for the adventure of a lifetime?”

Kling’s smile literally takes up her entire face, and it’s so bright it almost blinds Morgan. The excitement is radiating off the shorter girl. Even though she’s still a little groggy from sleep, she can’t help but cover Kling’s hand with her own and smile broadly in return. “Born ready. Turn before the light changes.”

***

They listen to the entirety of ‘1989’ twice. Morgan’s not one to sing in the car, but she hums along to most of the songs while Kling drums the beat against Morgan’s thigh. They talk a little bit, but Kling is mostly concentrated on driving to the location and not denting Champ. Finally Moe asks, “Do you know where we’re going?”

“Obviously.”

“Are you sure you don’t want a GPS, or I can pull up the location on my phone?” Morgan offers.

“That would ruin the mystery.”

“You know I hate surprises.” Morgan groans, crossing her arms. She switches the AUX cord from Kling’s phone to her phone and plays her Little Big Town album. Kling doesn’t know the words to any of the songs. “How long is this ride going to take?”

“Is it bad that I regret this already?” Kling grumbles.

“We…” Morgan looks a road sign. “We’re going _away_ from the East Coast; you realize that right? We should be heading in the _opposite_ direction. Are you listening to me?”

“I have no choice.” Kling says and tries to ignore the glare that Morgan is staring her down with. “Yes. I know. Babe, we’re going somewhere that we’ve talked about going to before. So can you please trust me for another hour and a half?”

Morgan relents. “Fine.”

“Can you also maybe give me a kiss so I know you’re not annoyed?” Kling manages a quick glance at her girlfriend. Morgan rolls her eyes and mutters ‘I am annoyed’ but places a kiss on Kling’s cheek regardless. “How about I give you a hint where we’re going? For a price, of course.”

Morgan peppers Kling’s face in kisses as they stop at a light. The AUX cord switches again, promptly cutting off Morgan’s country music. Kling allows a moment of suspenseful silence. Then she presses play and continues driving. “... There’s no words.”

“Listen closely.”

Morgan closes her eyes as if it will help. “The, the Jurassic Park theme song?”

“Wow, you’re good, babe.”

“I don’t get it.” Morgan frowns.

Kling squeezes her knee and smiles. “You’ll figure it out soon enough.”

***

They listen to an entire playlist dedicated to dinosaurs, and Moe still doesn’t get it.

Kling says nothing and continues driving. Morgan sits quietly with her lips pursed in obvious concentration. She has two questions. Question Number 1 being where the hell am I going? Question Number 2 being how the hell did she find this many songs about dinosaurs?

Around 2:15 in the afternoon, Kling says with a flourish of her hand: “Here we are, Einstein.”

Morgan peers out the window at the sign. “Dinosaur Valley State Park… Dude, we talked about this place!”

Kling laughs at how Morgan’s eyes go wide like saucers and her jaw drops open. “Exactly. I gave you a ton of hints.”

“Yeah. Shut up.”

They stop in the parking lot, and Kling notices a family of five staring at their car. Morgan grins proudly at the dad and his two sons whispering and waits for Kling to come around and open her door. It’s fourteen dollars to get in, and Kling sets the money on the table. They get little badges and pick out a trail to follow; it’s supposed to take 45 minutes all the way around and they’ve got a chance of seeing waterfalls. The Buckeye trail-- moderate difficulty, apparently.

“We got this.” Kling says confidently as they pay an extra six bucks for walking sticks. Morgan thinks it’s ridiculous-- they can pick up sticks along the trail for no price at all. But, “We’re doing this right way, Moe. With some good, manufactured walking sticks.”

They set out along the trail, holding hands. Kling has a camo-colored snapback on backwards and a set of binoculars hanging around her neck-- another added four dollars to the price. Morgan waits until they round a corner where it’s more secluded, with more trees and bushes surrounding them, to grab the binoculars and use them to pull Kling close. “This is amazing.”

“We haven’t even seen the waterfalls yet.” Kling says.

Moe shrugs. “I’ve already got a pretty nice view.”

“Smooth, Brian.” Kling puts her hands on either side of Morgan’s face and does her thing where she kisses the corners of Morgan’s mouth, but doesn’t kiss her square. It always manages to get on Moe’s nerves just little bit because all she ever wants to do is kiss Kling and she can be such a tease. “Let’s keep going, we’re on a tight schedule.”

“We are?”

“Nope. But this place closes at 4:30 and I want to have enough time to see everything.” Morgan doesn’t let go of the binoculars until she gets her kiss, and then they hook their arms together and set off down the trail.

They see the waterfalls about fifteen minutes into the hike. There’s a few families already there, snapping pictures with their giant cameras while wrangling several obnoxious children.

Kling can’t see over the six-foot couple directly in front of them. Moe frowns and considers saying something, but the woman is already arguing with her boyfriend and both have muscles bigger than Morgan’s head. Kling pouts for a moment but recovers bravely, tugging at Moe’s arm. “We’ll see more.”

“Get on my back.”

“What?”

“You’ll be able to see them if you get on my back.” Morgan explains. Kling hesitantly climbs onto Moe’s back and wraps her arm around the girl’s neck. And she can see. The waterfall is beautifully clear, tumbling over the pale rocks and emptying into a creek. Kling grins and kisses the top of Morgan’s head.

“It looks radical.” Kling states. They can see in the rocks all the layers, all the years that the sediment and the soil built up. Millions of years of work. It’s an understated kind of amazing. Moe can’t see Kling’s face, but she can feel the shorter girl’s grin. It feels pretty good.

***

The trail loops back and then they head to the dinosaur track sites. They’re absolutely swimming with people, families and couples of all ages. Morgan buys two vanilla ice creams and they awkwardly shuffle around the crowds, catching sneaks at the dinosaur footprints. Dozens of them weave all over the park, kept safe behind rope fences. Kling leans over and steals a bite of Morgan’s ice cream.

“Dude. I literally have the same thing as you.” Morgan furrows her eyebrows.

“You can have some of mine.” Kling offers. Morgan just shakes her head and continues to passively eat her own ice cream. “You’re not actually mad at me, right, babe?”

“I take my ice cream seriously.” Morgan says.

“How seriously?”

Morgan leans close so that their noses are almost bumping. “Very seriously.”

And then Morgan is off again, finishing her ice cream while heading over to a new site. Kling has to jog to keep up with Morgan’s long, quick strides. “Since when did you become the leader of this expedition?”

“Since you always follow me anyway.” Morgan answers smugly, putting her arm over Kling’s shoulders. They follow a short trail to the ‘Ballroom Track Site’. They follow the detailed path through the hundreds of interweaving footprints. A few park rangers wander, some telling the history of the Natives that lived on the land and the dinosaurs that came before them.

“It’s almost closing time.” Kling says as the park ranger moves. “Do you want to beat the rush?”

“Yeah.” So they head back to the car, Kling’s hat somehow having found its way to Morgan’s head. “Can I just say that today was one of the most amazing I’ve ever had? Because I can’t even begin to describe how cool it was.”

“I had fun too.”

“How’d you remember?” Morgan inquires as they settle into the Pontiac. “I mentioned it like, once, a while ago.”

“I remember a lot.” Is her simple answer.

“You’re awesome.” Morgan hums, staring at Kling with huge, soulful eyes. She says it so quietly Kling hardly catches it. But she does, just barely, and it makes a blush creeps across her cheeks.

She doesn’t reply, but she smiles.

***

They eat dinner at the Riverhouse Grill. It was recommended on Google Maps and nearby their hotel in Glen Rose. The place has a great vibe, indie music plays loudly and the waiters are polite. They eat grilled pork chops and Kling listens to the normally quiet Moe gush about the dinosaur footprints.

“They’re just so, like wow.” Moe says. She purses her lips and thinks for a moment. “Can you believe that all those millions of years ago, they were standing in that exact spot where we were, looking up at the same sky we are?”

“You’re getting philosophical on me now.” Kling shovels another piece of pork chop into her mouth and grins.

“Really, Kling. It’s just so crazy to think about how small we really are in comparison to everything else. Like, the dinosaurs were huge and here we are and we’re so tiny. It’s like, I don’t know.” Morgan shrugs. “It’s still hard to believe that the universe is really that old.”

“Makes you feel insignificant, huh?” When Morgan nods, Kling adds. “Well, if it makes you feel better, you’re very significant to me.”

***

They arrive at the Best Western after the sun’s disappeared into the sky and get the cheapest room they can find. Once they get inside, Kling starts to build a fort out of pillows while Moe takes a shower. When she returns, she scoffs at Kling’s structure. “Sorry. Didn’t realize we were ten.”

“You’re never too old for a pillow fort.” Kling defends herself, settling into the swath of white blankets and giant pillows. Morgan puts on Kling’s college sweatshirt and sinks in next to her girlfriend. “Also, that’s mine.”

“It’s ours.” Morgan replies. “Wow. I’m tired.”

“We had a busy day.”

“If this is only the first day, I can’t even imagine what the rest of the trip will be like.” Morgan leans her head into Kling’s chest. Just listening to the older girl’s heart beating almost makes her fall asleep. She feels so safe and content around Kling; with her, even the hotel feels like home.

“Get to sleep, babe. We’re going to Fort Worth tomorrow and I want to get there early.” Kling kisses Moe’s head, and the brunette is already fast asleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have some minor editing to do and FFL will be up later tonight!  
> Thanks for reading, feedback is appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 of 3,000 miles. 
> 
> "“Very pretty.” Kling agrees.  
> She’s looking at Morgan when she says it."

Moe wakes up to hot coffee again, and when she thinks that Kling can’t possibly get any better, she’s handed a glazed donut. It has a couple rainbow sprinkles on it, but given the look on Kling’s face, Morgan figures it had a lot more when she bought it. “You’re an angel. An actual, living, breathing angel.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She ruffles Moe’s hair as the girl groggily stands up. “Don’t waste your appetite; we’re going to get brunch when we get to Fort Worth.”

“Cool, cool.” Moe downs the donut and the coffee and is changed in only a few minutes. If yesterday set the pace for the trip, Moe is more than eager to get their two-person show back on the road. “What should I wear? Casual or dressy?”

“Casual.” Kling says. She’s already dressed-- black jeans and an Eagles t-shirt she stole from JJ at some point. Kling finishes packing what little they’d brought in with them while Moe changes. She finally decides on a plain gray tank top and light blue, ripped jeans.

“This good?”

“Perfect as usual.” Kling answers with a wide grin. “Showing off those guns.”

Moe flexes and laughs. “I do look good, huh?”

“I already said that.” Kling plants a kiss on Morgan’s cheek as she walks past, taking her cell phone and wallet off the top of the drawers. “And we’re ready to go. After you, lovely.”

Morgan volunteers to drive to Fort Worth-- it’s only an hour and Kling relents because she’s admittedly sick of driving. Morgan grins as she gets into the Pontiac’s driver seat and the grin only gets wider when she turns the car on. “I love this thing.”

“You’re a loser.” Kling says, but she says it with so much admiration that Moe has to duck her head.

“Do you have another themed soundtrack for the drive?” Morgan asks, cranking the radio up.

“Hell yeah I do.” Kling answers, plugging her phone in.

***

“This is the weirdest playlist ever.” Morgan says, and Kling raises her eyebrows curiously. “We went from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers to Elton John to Shakira to The B-52’s. Were you high when you made this?”

“No.” Kling crosses her arms and kicks her feet up onto the dashboard. “Do you get it?”

It only takes Morgan a split-second to smack Kling’s ankles off the dashboard, but she ponders Kling’s question for a few more moments. “Not really. However, I want to listen to _Rock Lobster_ again.”

“Maybe later; we’ve still got a couple more songs to go.” Kling’s smile turns devious. “I included a country song for you, babe.”

Two more songs go by, and then _Save A Horse, (Ride A Cowboy)_ comes on. Morgan audibly groans.

***

They walk into the cafe at exactly 11 am, for brunch. The place is called Fred’s Texas Cafe-- Great Burgers and Cold-Ass Beer-- both of which sound great. Except for the fact that the brunch menu includes neither, which Kling considers complaining about. They settle down in a booth, order bacon and eggs and a mimosa each, and tiredly rub the last of sleep from their eyes. “I personally think it’s too early for any kind alcohol.”

“It’s happy hour somewhere.” Kling answers, taking a sip at the water already set out for them. Moe rolls her eyes and props both elbows on the table. “Why? Are you some kind of lightweight?”

Morgan narrows her eyes. She _is_ a lightweight, which Kling knows _far_ too well. “Fight me, Klingeberg.”

“I thought you stopped being grumpy after you had coffee.” Kling says. “I think we need to get you a shot of expresso.”

“Of what?”

“Expresso.”

Moe laughs so hard that all the patrons give her side-eye. She laughs so hard that she swears water comes out of her nose. “What the hell is expresso?”

“The shot that you put in your coffee!” Kling’s voice raises a few octaves. “What?”

“Espresso, Kling. Espresso.” Morgan wipes a tear from her eye. “Expresso. That’s the best thing you’ve ever said.”

“Espresso, expresso, same diff.” Kling takes a long gulp of her water. “Did you ever figure out the songs, Moe? They all had a common theme.”

“Impossible.” Morgan says immediately.

“You sure?” Kling asks with a raised eyebrow.

“Positive.” Morgan answers confidently. Kling just shrugs and twirls around her straw.

“Alright, babe. Whatever you say.”

“You’re making fun of me.” Morgan accuses.

“Am not.” Kling states, setting a hand over her heart. “I would never make fun you.”

Their food comes and it would be impolite to argue in front of the waiter, so they kindly accept their food and their mimosas. As soon as the waiter departs, Moe’s eyes narrow and she stabs her sunny side up egg rather aggressively.  “You can be a real jerk sometimes, dude.”

“So you’re allowed to make fun of me, and I’m not allowed to make fun of you?” Kling raises her eyebrows in a challenge. “Is that so?”

Morgan downs her mimosa in a few gulps. “I’m going to need about six more of these if I’m to deal with you.”

“If you get drunk, you won’t remember our amazing day we’re going to have.” Kling says. “So finish those eggs so we can blow this popsicle stand.”

“You astound me with your dorkiness.”

***

Lynyrd Skynyrd has a way of making Morgan feel nostalgic. Free Bird blares from the radio so loudly she can’t hear herself think, and looking over at Kling behind the wheel with her snapback and her jersey, she’s just overcome with happiness.

Kling mouths along to the words, bobbing her head to the music. She catches Moe staring and winks, wearing her familiar confident smile. “Take a picture; it’ll last longer.”

“Keep your eyes on the road; I don’t wanna die.” Morgan shoots back.

“Sorry, I can’t help it. You’re just too pretty for me.”

Morgan scoffs despite the fact that her cheeks heat up. “Whatever. Light’s green, loser.”

***

Kling parks in a huge lot and Morgan’s eyes widen. A huge sign with red letters says **‘Welcome to the Fort Worth Zoo!’** and  Morgan immediately feels stupid. All the songs were animal themed, of course. She kind of wants to hit her head against the dashboard, but instead she leans over and kisses Kling.

“Jerk.” She hums as she pulls away.

“My own Stephen Hawking.” Kling chuckles and pockets the Pontiac’s keys. “Come on, let’s go see some animals, hot stuff.”

“Your nicknames aren’t as amusing as you think.” Morgan says, getting out of the car. She takes Kling’s hat and puts it on her own head with a smug grin. Kling leans against her and sighs happily, and they head to the entrance. It’s $24 for the both of them, and Kling takes the map with the plan of leading them confidently.

They stop at the gorillas first. Kling feels the need to read every tidbit about them in a dramatic announcer-type voice. Morgan rolls her eyes, but there’s nothing she enjoys more than listening to Kling ramble. Seriously. The girl could read the phone book and it would be the most amazing thing Moe ever heard.

“Hey, Moe. Remember on the news when they had that gorilla like, crack the glass? Do you think that could happen here?” Kling asks, getting closer to the clear glass.

Morgan grabs her arm and tugs her back. “Don’t even try.”

They move on to the next animals, Kling resisting the urge to beat her chest at the huge gorillas. They see cheetahs playing with a tire swing, rhinos grazing peacefully, and meerkats chasing one another. Kling takes every opportunity she can get to bump into Morgan, and Morgan uses to the excuse of checking the map to brush her fingers with Kling’s.

They’re not exactly good at being subtle.

“The giraffes are so tall.” Kling breathes.

“Everything is tall compared to you.” Morgan deadpans. The taller girl nearly swoons when she sees the white tigers, and then there are even more tigers after that and, “There are so many of them! They’re all so pretty!”

“Very pretty.” Kling agrees honestly.

She’s looking at Morgan when she says it.

***

Kling gets every single bird in Parrot Paradise to shout ‘Morgan Brian’ in a painfully inharmonious echo. It gets so loud a small boy nearby bursts into tears. Kling finds it hilarious.

Morgan doesn’t.

***

They walk the length of the zoo and circle back to see all the animals a second time. They take a picture in front of the bald eagles. A worker at the zoo gives them both a treat for the horses. When they pass the otters, Kling says. “You know, otters hold hands when they sleep, to keep from floating away.”

“Otters have hands?”

“I don’t know. They hold paws.”

Morgan grins and waves to the otters. Kling records the otter waving back. She sends it to JJ and JJ answers with ‘you’re roadtripping and didn’t invite me?’ along with a bunch of broken heart and sad face emojis. Kling answers with a red heart and the emoji of two girls holding hands. She knows that all the way in Chicago, JJ is smiling.

When Kling glances back up from her phone, Morgan has both elbows propped on the fence and is gazing down like the otter pen holds the secrets of the universe. “You alright there, champ?”

“Perfect.” Morgan says with conviction. Kling grins and leans against her, just getting a side profile of the girl’s face.

“Having fun?”

“Mhm.”

“Good.” Kling loops her arm with Morgan’s; it’s a lot easier and less sweaty than hand-holding, and they both like the feeling better. It brings their whole bodies closer to one another and in Morgan’s opinion, she can’t get close enough to Kling. "I wanna go through the reptile exhibit one more time before we leave.”

“And the gift shop.” Morgan says, more of a command than a question. Kling nods-- the gift shop is definitely a planned stop. They pass by the lizards and the snakes once again, Kling snapchats a picture of a roach to Carli, and they say goodbye to the adorable-yet-deadly poison dart frogs.

“We should seriously consider getting one of those as a pet.” Kling says. “They’re cute.”

“If you’re idea of cute is lethal, go for it.” Morgan replies.

“Well, you’re so hot it’s killing me.”

“Your face kills me.”

Kling pinches her ass hard enough that she jumps and two very concerned mothers give them strange looks. Morgan tries not to be too obvious about digging her elbow into her girlfriend’s side. “You are going to pay for that later.”

Kling snickers. “I’m looking forward to it.”

***

It’s a three hour drive to where they’ll be spending the night. The first hour is mostly talking about the zoo while Morgan cuddles her stuffed tiger, but after that dies down, she suggests something new. “My friends and I used to play this drinking game. We’d all sit down and have to tell a story-- worst injury, first kiss-- whatever. Whoever had the best story didn’t have to drink. And it went around.”

“I’m behind the wheel; I can’t get drunk.”

“I know that.” Morgan says. “We could go back and forth though. Best memories and stuff.”

“Best memory?” Kling asks. “Alright, I’ll go first. Best memory; probably meeting you. Over going to London and over winning the World Cup.”

“You remember when we first met?” Morgan asks. She considers herself an alright girlfriend, caring most of the time. She remembers things. She remembers how Kling likes her coffee, her favorite color, and her grandparents’ names. She remembers their anniversary and she remembers where they had their first kiss. “I don’t even remember when we first met.”

“It was your first camp. We roomed together and you got there first, so I walked into the room and you were facing away from me and when you turned around, I was like ‘woah’. Cause you were so hot.” Kling explains proudly. She could probably recall that moment up to the minute, it was so impactful on her life.

“I was hot?” Morgan prompts, crossing her arms.

“Were hot, is hot. Same diff.” Kling rolls her eyes and squeezes Morgan’s knee.

“I didn’t realize it was so important to you, the day we met.” Morgan hums, her hand covering Kling’s. If Kling had been so caught up in her right off the bat, man that girl waited a long time to come clean about her feelings. Morgan almost feels guilty.

“It was really important. Like, how do I describe it?” Kling ponders for a second, fingers tapping the wheel. “Do you remember that movie about horses with Miranda Cosgrove? The one we watched before our match against Germany?”

“Oh, yeah….” Morgan eyes the shorter girl curiously. “Where are you going with this?”

“There’s that scene where she turns around and all the flower petals fall around and then the horse like steps out from behind them. It’s really magical and stuff, or it’s supposed to be.” Kling explains. The movie wasn’t exactly good, but it had them all laughing and eased the tension before the match. “That’s kind of how it was.”

“That’s really sweet.” Morgan says honestly, and then frowns. “Except you’re comparing me to a horse.”

“I’m comparing the magic of the moment. And the magic that I feel every time I look at you.”

“That was… That was actually really smooth.” Morgan whispers, blushing. It’s always like Kling knows the exact right thing to say, and even though they’ve been together for a while, she never stops saying the perfect thing. “You’re really amazing.”

Kling beams. “I try.”

***

They arrive in a small town at around 7. The sun’s starting to disappear behind the trees and they’re both hungry. Morgan glances around, there’s maybe eight buildings in what she figures is the center of town. “Where are we?”

“Welcome to Uncertain, Texas.” Kling beams, parking on the side of the road, outside of an an Inn that looks like a log cabin. Morgan raises her eyebrows.

“Don’t tell me this is a reflection of our relationship?”

Kling laughs. “No, babe. I’m pretty certain on that.”

“You’ve got me tied down.”

“Damn straight.”

They wander up to the screen door, and the most stereotypical old grandmother answers. She’s got heavy wrinkles on her forehead and glasses perched at the end of her nose, and she’s still holding a yarn ball in her hands. Kling beams at the woman and says, in a slight country that accent that Morgan didn’t know Kling could do, says, “Ma’am, do you have a room available for us to sleep in for the night?”

The woman opens the door and welcomes them in, rubbing Kling’s shoulder and then Morgan’s. “Of course. What’re you two pretty girls doing out here?”

“Road trip.” Morgan says politely.

“Well, I’ve got a few rooms available, if you’ll follow me.” The woman has a cane with beautiful patterns carved into it, and the walk through the cabin slowly. It’s all wood panels and plaid patterns and black and white pictures. When the old woman isn’t looking, Morgan presses a kiss to Kling’s shoulder.

“Cute place.”

“Tell me about it.”

The woman stops in front of a room with a beautiful view of the river in front of them and two tiny beds made up with beautiful quilts. Kling stares at one approvingly. “Did you make these yourself?”

“A long time ago, yes.”

“They’re beautiful.” Kling says, and the woman leaves the room with a smile on her face. Then Kling turns to Morgan and adds. “Not as beautiful as you.”

The woman comes in a few minutes later with homemade cookies, hot cocoa, and a deck of playing cards. Morgan and Kling settle in the space between their beds on the floor, Moe cross-legged and Kling with a foot on either of Moe’s knees. They settle for palace, and while Kling passes out the cards, Moe says, “We need to tip that woman, like, hella well.”

“I know right? This cookies are to die for.” Kling stuffs another of the chocolate-chip goodness into her mouth.

“I might ask for the recipe.”

Kling chuckles. “Since when do you bake?”

“Since maybe I wanted a new hobby.”

“That is one hobby I’m not going to complain about.” Kling says, grinning with crumbs running down her chin and sticking to her cheek. Morgan rolls her eyes and concentrates back on her hand for the game. Kling’s already better than her at Spoons and Nervous. Moe will be damned if Palace gets added to the list.

Kling lets her win.

***

Late that night, Kling suddenly remembers and tugs at Moe's arm. "You never told me your favorite memory."

There's a long silence that stretches where Kling isn't sure if the girl is asleep or just ignoring her. And then, voice slurred with tiredness. "Every memory I have with you."

Morgan's proud of herself for that answer and Kling fist-bumps her. 

"Good one, Brian. I've taught you well."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy this chapter!  
> FFL will probably be updated around 9:30 or so, since I still need to edit.  
> Follow me on tumblr, shoot me an ask, or leave a comment here since feedback is super appreciated. Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. As you know I've been late updating FFL lately as well, so if updates with this get sporadic, please don't get too upset. Life is just generally busy lately.
> 
> "It’s the freaking smallest store on the planet, it’s mostly candy that Kling last saw at her grandma’s with a late-80’s expiration date, and some glass bottles of Coke. Morgan only finds regular chips, so she bundles them in her hands and heads back to the counter where she last saw Kling perusing the candies.
> 
> The person working there looks pissed."

Morgan wakes up first and gets cheap coffee from a machine next to the front desk. It tastes cheap and bitter, but Morgan finds it delicious. It tastes like she always imagined cheap hotel coffee to taste like, and it’s so _road trip_.

Morgan leaves the coffee out on the drawer for Kling and puts a post-it on it. All the post-it has is a badly drawn heart, but Morgan thinks it’s cute. She turns some music on her phone, jumps into the cramped shower and groans. She’s not even that tall but the showerhead is low. Perfect for Kling.

She showers as quick as she can, ties her hair into a bun and applies some mascara in the fogged up mirror. She changes into sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt -- Kling said they would be driving all day so she doesn’t have to dress in normal clothes -- and heads back into the room. Kling has the post-it note on her chest over her heart and a cute smile on her face. “Thanks for the picker-uper, sweetheart.”

“Totally.”

“I’m changed; we can hit the road right now. If you wanna.” Kling throws her drawstring over shoulder and runs a hand through her hair.

“The sooner the better.” Morgan links their arms and they say goodbye to the woman at the desk. Kling jumps in the driver’s seat and Morgan settles in the passenger seat. Kling puts the key in the ignition, and then rests on hand on the wheel while the other rests on Morgan’s thigh. “Where are we going?”

“Just drivin’.” Kling answers.

“No soundtrack?”

“Nah.” Kling says as they pull onto the street.

They get about half an hour away when Morgan’s eyes shoot up from a game on her phone. She looks at Kling in a panic and even though they’re on a busy street, Kling hits the brakes hard and veers over the side. “Are you okay?”

“I forgot my make-up bag at the hotel.” Morgan explains, annoyed.

“You’re kidding me, right?” Kling groans, pulling back onto the road so that she can U-turn. Of course Morgan would forget something. Kling’s surprised it didn’t come sooner, but it still annoys her. Morgan glares at her and Kling sighs. “What?”

“You could’ve reminded me before we left.”

“I didn’t realize I was in charge of your stuff.”

“Our stuff.” Morgan corrects her.

“I don’t wear make-up!” Kling answers, and then sighs again. “Whatever. You’re paying for the wasted gas.”

“With my money?” Morgan asks.

“Our money, babe. Just from your wallet.” Kling smirks and tries not to laugh when Morgan’s face turns red.

***

“Do you wanna play the game again?” Morgan asks after they get back on the road. She figures Kling isn’t annoyed anymore, but she’s still annoyed at herself for forgetting and giving Kling something to tease her about. Kling glances over and nods.

“Alright… How about best goal?”

“You’ve only scored three.” Morgan reminds her with a chuckle.

“And how many have you scored?” Kling asks, and Morgan just rolls her eyes.

“Fair enough. I’ll start. My best goal was the one in training against Hope. ‘Cause, it doesn’t get better than scoring against Hope, she is the best, after all. And it came off my foot so well and no one expected it, and the best thing was that I could, like, soak it in. I didn’t have to worry about the game because it was practice. And everyone was cheering for me and Hope was so impressed.”

“Yeah, that was a good goal.” Kling nods, remembering how everyone ‘ooh’d’ the second it came off Morgan’s foot.

“And you looked at me like I’d just come from the heavens.” Morgan adds. “You were proud of me.”

“You say that like I’m not always proud of you.” Kling replies, raising her eyebrows.

Morgan shrugs. “I know, but, extra proud.”

“I’m always extra proud of you.” Kling says. “You know I’m your biggest fan, all the way, all the time. If I wasn’t playing, dude, I would be screaming one-hundred percent of the time.”

They both know it’s true. Kling is her biggest fan, even bigger than Morgan’s own parents. Sometimes Morgan wonders how her career would be in Kling never existed, and it’s kind of weird, because she’s where she’s at because of Kling. Of course, she owes it to herself and her teammates and also largely to Cheney, but Kling supplies a certain kind of support and enthusiasm unmatched by anybody else. She’d be nowhere without her.

“What’s your favorite goal?”

“Hometown goal, easy.” Kling answers without missing a beat.

Sometimes Morgan wonders if the girl knows what kind of an effect she causes.

***

Morgan’s asleep, but Kling hears her stomach growls and she knows that the second Moe wakes up, she’d going to complain about eating. However, they’re about an hour behind what Kling originally planned and in the middle of nowhere. Like, seriously nowhere. Trees on both sides, occasionally a light post, and the radio is scratchy because there’s nothing for miles.

And then a sign.

Moscow, Mississippi. The population is only three digits and the road leading to it is narrow as hell. Kling ponders on waking Morgan up, but the road is filled with potholes, so Morgan wakes up on her own when Kling hits five in a row. It’s probably a new record.

“Hungry.” Morgan states simply, rubbing her left eye with a balled-up fist while yawning. Kling thinks she looks impossibly cute.

“Yeah, babe.” Kling looks down the main road and there’s literally no restaurants. This Moscow is certainly different from the one in Russia. One lone man in a bucket hat walks the mangiest looking dog in the world. There’s a store on the corner with an dimmed neon sign hanging out front and a faded ‘OPEN’ sign on the door. “I’ll pick up some snacks. Are you coming with?”

“Yeah. You always get the wrong chips.”

“Because Kettle-cooked chips taste terrible.”

“Screw you.” Morgan gets out of the car and they walk inside, Kling politely holding the door open. It’s the freaking smallest store on the planet, it’s mostly candy that Kling last saw at her grandma’s with a late-80’s expiration date, and some glass bottles of Coke. Morgan only finds regular chips, so she bundles them in her hands and heads back to the counter where she last saw Kling perusing the candies.

The person working there looks pissed.

“I will have ‘zis, and also some of ‘zis.” Kling says in a painfully bad Russian accent. She points at the gummy bears and the Crunch pieces, and the worker there takes them out of the corner with the most passive-aggressive sigh. Morgan walks over and doesn’t have time to stop Kling from saying, “‘Zank you.”

“Dear God, Meghan.” Morgan hisses, squeezing her shoulder as she drops the chips on the counter. She gives the worker a very apologetic work, and the person brushes her off with a cold look.

They pay and Morgan drags Kling out before the girl can say anything else.

“You really had to use a Russian accent?”

“Well, technically we’re in Moscow.” Kling answers.

“That person wanted to stab you.” Morgan grumbles, slumping into the car. “Mark that down as a place we can never go again.”

“Who would want to? It’s boring.” Kling shrugs. “They’re more pissy that regular Russians.”

“One day you’re going to say the wrong thing to the wrong person, and they’re going to kill you.” Morgan says seriously.

“And that’s why I have you.” Kling replies with a smirk. “My valiant, brave, attractive, understanding, smart…”

“Shut up.” Morgan rolls her eyes. She’s still the slightest bit annoyed at Kling, but staying angry at that face?

Impossible.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for keeping up with the story, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


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